Guidelines for Transportation Emergency Training Exercises (2006)

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Guidelines for Transportation Emergency Training Exercises 141 ATTACHMENT 4 EXERCISE DESIGN OBJECTIVES

Guidelines for Transportation Emergency Training Exercises 142 Transportation Plans, Checklists, and Procedures 1. Transportation Emergency Operations Plans, Checklists, and Procedures. Assess the availability of transportation plans, checklists, and procedures to support emergency response activities to transportation personnel. Determine if these materials were located and used and if all transportation agency personnel who needed them had access to them. Identify any weaknesses regarding the storage, placement, and use of these materials. 2. Transportation Response Plan and Supporting Materials. Assess the adequacy of the transportation emergency opera- tions plan and supporting checklists and procedures to respond to the emergency incident. Determine if these tools provided transportation agency personnel with the direction and support needed to perform emergency response activities. Identify shortfalls in the plan, checklists, and/or procedures; limits in capabilities; and conflicts regarding roles and responsibilities. 3. Transportation Decision-Making Process. Assess the decision-making process used by the transportation agency to respond to the emergency. Determine whether roles and responsibilities, authorities, and tasks specified in the transportation emergency operations plan, checklists, and procedures actually occurred as documented or whether other actions were taken. Identify weaknesses in existing decision-making processes, roles, responsibilities, and specified tasks. 4. Interface with the Local Responders/Emergency Operations Center. Assess the adequacy of the existing memorandum of understanding or memorandum of agreement, protocols, and other agreements, as well as procedures specified for trans- portation in the communitywide emergency operations plan. Determine if expected actions occurred. Identify limitations in resources, communication, coordination, and planning. 5. Interface with the Private Sector. Assess the adequacy of existing agreements with tenants, vendors, and other private- sector partners. Determine if expected actions occurred, including access to services provided under emergency procure- ment agreements. Identify limitations in resources, communication, coordination, and planning. 6. Interface with State Agencies. Assess the adequacy of existing mutual aid agreements, emergency plans, and support- ing procedures with state agencies. Determine if expected actions occurred. Identify limitations in resources, communica- tion, coordination, and planning. 7. Awareness of Potential Interface with Federal Plans. Assess the transportation agency’s understanding of federal direc- tives and plans (e.g., National Incident Management System and National Response Plan) and federal agencies’ roles in responding to an incident of national significance. Determine if transportation agency plans and coordination with the local emergency operations center and field command structure adequately identified the potential federal role. Identify limitations in resources, communication, coordination, and planning. Interagency Planning and Coordination 1. Community Response Plans. Assess the adequacy of local, communitywide, and agency-specific plans to respond to the transportation requirements of the emergency incident. Determine if transportation activities were appropriately identified, coordinated, and managed. Identify shortfalls in resources, limits in capabilities, and conflicts in planning. 2. Local Decision-Making Process. Assess the adequacy of the local decision-making process to address the emergency incident’s transportation requirements. Determine if local officials, local emergency operations center personnel, and local responders effectively identified the impacts of transportation decisions and coordinated their implementation with the appro- priate transportation personnel. Identify outstanding needs for information, impact assessments, clarification of roles and responsibilities, and key actions to be taken regarding transportation. Note: The following exercise design objectives are for a transportation exercise. Transportation planning team members should limit the number of objectives selected for any one exercise to no more than five. These objectives may be com- bined or modified, based on the needs of the transportation agency. The selected objectives should be based on the scope and type of the exercise, as well as the scenario and/or subject. Exercise design objectives will be selected by the trans- portation planning team prior to the development of more detailed materials to support the exercises. Selected objectives can be further modified once these materials are developed. Exercise Design Objectives

Guidelines for Transportation Emergency Training Exercises 3. Private/Public Sector Interface. Determine if the local community adequately collaborated with the private sector regarding both transportation impacts and requirements. Identify limitations in the existing process, requirements for both agreements and emergency procurement of services, and coordination of needs for private-sector emergency operations centers. 4. Interface with Local/State/Federal Agencies. Assess the adequacy of the interface and understanding among local/state/federal agencies in the conduct of incident management activities affecting transportation. Determine if transporta- tion requirements were appropriately identified and communicated across local, state, and federal jurisdictions. Identify limita- tions in communication, coordination, understanding of roles and responsibilities, and direction regarding the emergency inci- dent’s transportation requirements. 5. Awareness of Federal Plans. Assess the local community’s capabilities to collaborate with existing federal directives and plans (e.g., National Incident Management System and National Response Plan) regarding transportation issues. Determine if federal capabilities and requirements for transportation were adequately addressed. Identify limitations in communication, coordination, understanding of roles and responsibilities, and direction regarding the implications of federal involvement in addressing the emergency incident’s transportation requirements. Notification and Incident Reporting 1. Transportation Notification. Assess the adequacy of the transportation agency’s internal process for receiving and making notifications regarding the emergency incident. Determine if appropriate notification procedures were followed and if required checklists were used or referenced. Identify needed improvements in the process. If applicable, be sure to address notifica- tion requirements during both duty and nonduty hours. 2. Transportation Incident Verification. Assess the adequacy of the transportation agency’s activity to verify the notification. Determine if additional transportation capabilities and resources are available to support verification. Identify limitations in existing processes. 3. Transportation Incident Reporting. Assess the adequacy of initial reports received from transportation personnel. Deter- mine if sufficient information was provided to support the request of appropriate resources and the dispatch of appropriate personnel. Identify limitations in existing procedures for obtaining initial reports. 4. Activation of Transportation Agency Emergency Operations Center. Assess the process used by the transportation agency to activate its emergency operations center. Determine if this process supported appropriate and timely activation and if all required notifications were made to transportation personnel. Identify additional requirements regarding the activa- tion of the transportation agency emergency operations center and the notification of personnel. 5. Follow-Up Reports. Assess the adequacy of the follow-up reports received from transportation agency personnel. Deter- mine if these reports provided additional information to clarify questions/ needs outstanding from initial reports. Identify additional requirements regarding information to be provided in follow-up reports. 6. Activation of Extended Staffing Plans. Assess the adequacy of the process through which the transportation agency emergency operations center authorizes the activation of extended staffing plans. Determine if current procedures for activa- tion and for developing and implementing these plans are adequate. Identify any recommendations for improvement. Transportation Incident Management System 1. Transportation Command Post. Assess the location and adequacy of the transportation agency’s command post. Deter- mine if the appropriate measures were taken in locating the command post, establishing communications, accounting for transportation agency personnel at the scene, identifying hazards at the scene, ensuring transportation agency worker safety, and providing briefings to arriving personnel. Identify any limitations in the existing process. 2. Transportation Incident Commander. Assess the adequacy of the process through which a transportation incident com- mander was selected, and evaluate his or her performance of the incident commander’s roles and responsibilities. Deter- mine if the transportation incident commander appropriately carried out his or her duties. Identify activities that should have been/should not have been performed by the transportation incident commander. 3. Liaison with Local Incident Command System. Assess the adequacy of the liaison between the transportation incident commander and the local jurisdiction’s single/unified command established at the scene. Determine if appropriate coordination 143

Guidelines for Transportation Emergency Training Exercises 144 and communication regarding field hazards, activities, briefings, sign-in/credentialing, resource requests, and incident action planning occurred. Identify needs for improved liaison/coordination with the local jurisdiction’s command system. 4. Transportation Incident Management Team. Assess the adequacy of the field response organization established by the transportation incident commander at the scene. Determine if the appropriate personnel were available; if sign-in, cre- dentialing, briefing, and worker safety protocols were followed; and if transportation agency personnel were appropriately tracked and dispatched from the scene when their activities were complete. Identify any weaknesses in the transportation field organization. 5. Transportation Dispatch/Management Center. Assess the adequacy of the interface established between the transporta- tion incident commander and the transportation dispatch/management center. Determine if appropriate communications occurred and if information was adequately relayed among the transportation incident command post, the transportation dispatch/management center, the transportation agency emergency operations center (with local responder dispatch func- tions), and the local emergency operations center. Identify any limitations in the existing communications process. 6. Transportation Agency Emergency Operations Center. Assess the adequacy of the transportation agency emergency operations center as a coordinating and long-term planning entity. Determine if the transportation agency emergency opera- tions center was able to appropriately identify and coordinate resource requests; manage strategic transportation planning in both the affected areas(s) and the nonaffected areas; support public information management and media requests; and col- laborate effectively with the transportation incident command post and the local emergency operations center. Identify limita- tions or areas in need of improvement. 7. Local Incident Command System. Assess the adequacy of the local command structure in identifying and managing the emergency incident’s transportation requirements. Determine if transportation impacts were appropriately identified; if trans- portation decisions were collaborated with the transportation incident commander; and if needed transportation agency resources were appropriately identified, requested, tracked, and deployed through the command structure. Identify critical issues and potential solutions. Resource Coordination 1. Transportation Agency Resource Coordination. Assess the adequacy of the transportation agency’s internal process for identifying, requesting, tracking, staging, and deploying resources. Determine if needed resources were available, appropriately requested, logged, staged, and used. Identify limitations in the transportation agency’s process for identify- ing and communicating resource needs, tracking requests, accessing and staging resources, and deploying them in the field. 2. Mutual-Aid Agreements. Assess the adequacy of existing mutual aid agreements with local responders and the local emer- gency management agency to identify and type transportation agency resources, to support the request and tracking of these resources, and to coordinate their staging and deployment in the field. Identify limitations in existing mutual aid agreements regarding the identification and typing of transportation agency resources, the use of tracking systems, the coordination with field command systems regarding the staging and deployment of resources, and the capabilities of the transportation agency to fulfill the agreements. 3. Local Resource Coordination. Assess the adequacy of coordination between the transportation agency and the local com- munity regarding the integration of transportation agency resources into the response. Determine limitations in the local com- munity’s awareness of the resources available from the transportation agency and the requirements of using these resources in the field. Identify critical issues and potential solutions. 4. Awareness of Federal/State Capabilities. Assess the adequacy of the local community’s ability to identify, type, and request additional transportation agency resources from state and federal agencies. Determine capabilities available from state and federal agencies in responding to the emergency incident and any requirements regarding how these capabilities must be requested. Identify limitations in communication, coordination, resource typing, damage assessments, and resource inventories. 5. Implementation of External Assets. Examine factors involved in the request, receipt, use, and integration of external response transportation assets by local incident command system protocols. Identify interoperability shortcomings and potential time delays that impede the rapid assimilation of external resources. Propose potential long-term solutions and short-term workarounds.

Guidelines for Transportation Emergency Training Exercises 6. Deployment of External Resources. Assess the adequacy of the existing process for receiving and deploying external transportation agency resources. Determine if existing protocols for deploying external resources result in potential time delays in receipt of external support. Determine the inherent effects at the local level. Identify critical issues and potential solutions. Threat/Hazard-Related Issues 1. Threat Preparation. Assess the current threat warning systems used by the transportation agency. Determine if existing technology and procedures adequately address the emergency incident, enabling prepositioning of resources and activation of additional transportation staff (if appropriate to the exercise). Identify additional warning systems, technology, or proce- dures that may improve capabilities. 2. Criminal Investigations. Assess the current capabilities of transportation personnel to support criminal investigations at inci- dent scenes. Determine if existing procedures for denying access to the scene; setting perimeters; managing affected motorists, passengers and employees; and handling telephonic/written threats are in concert with the needs of local law enforcement. Identify areas for improvement. 3. Detection. Assess the capability of the transportation system to detect and report the effects of chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear agents. Determine if existing checklists and procedures adequately capture information to be relayed to local respon- ders. Identify areas for improvement. Coordination with Specialized Community Assets 1. Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Teams. Assess current procedures for notifying and supporting response from SWAT teams to suspicious packages and other events. Determine if existing procedures adequately address the require- ments of these teams for response in the transportation environment. Identify areas of improvement. 2. Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Units. Assess current procedures for notifying and supporting response from HazMat units to suspicious releases, packages, circumstances, and other events. Determine if existing procedures adequately address the requirements of these units for response in the transportation environment. Identify areas of improvement. 3. Medical Community/Public Health. Assess current transportation capabilities to collaborate with the medical community regarding information; support for the transportation of ambulatory persons; and transportation support for shelters, decon- taminations sites, and areas of restricted mobility. Determine if existing procedures appropriately address the needs of this community. Identify areas for improvement. 4. Worker Safety. Assess current procedures for ensuring the safety of workers at emergency sites. Determine if existing protocols and practices address local, regional, and/or state requirements. Identify areas for improvement. 5. Coroner/Medical Examiner. Assess current procedures for notifying and supporting response from the coroner’s/medical examiner’s office on-scene at the transportation agency. Determine if existing procedures appropriately address concerns regarding impacts on transportation service, special requirements that would affect the handling of substantial numbers of contaminated remains, and required transportation decision making. 6. Environmental. Assess existing procedures for recognizing and managing contamination of transportation facilities, vehi- cles, and equipment. Determine if existing protocols and contracts for hazardous material clean-up are sufficient to address a range of threats and local/regional/state requirements. Identify areas for improvement. Public Information/Media 1. Public Information. Assess the capabilities of the transportation agency’s current system for managing public information and media requests. Determine if procedures followed by the transportation agency emergency operations center and the transportation dispatch/management center provide timely information to the population, support the needs of the local response community, comply with the requirements of the incident joint information center (JIC), assist in minimizing chaos and controlling rumors, and preclude the dissemination of conflicting information. Identify areas for improvement. 2. Media Control. Assess the adequacy of transportation plans for interface with and use of media resources. Determine if these plans appropriately address transportation concerns regarding the media and the requirements of the incident JIC. If the plans address coordination with state and federal agencies, assess whether the media should become involved. Identify areas for improvement. 145